


Thermodynamics and How to Ignore It

by Dw2h



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen, gentle disregard for the laws, the laws of physics that is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:53:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dw2h/pseuds/Dw2h
Summary: The gang bakes cookies! secret santa present for Jeanette9a on discord
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	Thermodynamics and How to Ignore It

Danny had adopted many new Christmas traditions since becoming a half-ghost. Some unorthodox and ancient, learning about the Wild Hunts by example, chasing and being chased through the old growth forests of the Far Frozen on the equinox. Others just modern enough to be recognizable, learning about the more pagan origins of the holiday from Queen Dora’s court. Not being allowed anywhere near Acropolis around this time of year until he was properly of age. (None of the older ghosts would tell him why, but a quick google search later explained everything and he had never been more grateful to be restricted from a celebration.)

His favorite way to celebrate happened to be the quietest. Spending his Christmas season with Clockwork, who wasn’t bound by any one set of traditions. Or if he was, he certainly didn’t show it. The more Danny thought about it, the more he realized that the elder ghost actually maintained a very careful distance from any celebration that could reliably be called ‘tradition’. Until this year, of course, when Danny unexpectedly busted into his home. He and his friends (and cousin) all carried as much variety in kitschy winter paraphernalia as they could obtain in the 21st century American midwest. Soon enough, the inner tower of Long Now was nearly unrecognizable under the sheer volume of color and sparkle. 

“Daniel,” Clockwork hesitated, gently holding a dollar store Santa hat that was beginning to shed its glitter. “this really isn’t necessary.” Translation: If the Observants caught even a whiff of this happening, they would be on him like a hawk on a mouse. 

“Aw c’mon Clockwork, you never get to relax during the year. And you don’t have to actually celebrate anything, just being here is cool.” Ah, logic in the way that only teenagers could come up with. Danny sported his own hat, lovingly embroidered with Grinch in looping cursive. “Plus, Sam brought cookie supplies, and she doesn’t even celebrate Christmas, and I know you like baking.”

Darn it, the boy had him there. Baking was a guilty pleasure of his, a relaxing pastime that didn't require too much of his attention if something were to go wrong in the timestream. 

He looked down at the hat once more, before tentatively pulling his hood back and slipping it on. The delighted grin on Danny’s face was worth having to deal with cheap glitter for the next six months. 

~~~

“So the instructions say ‘bake at 400°F for 10 minutes’.” Danny squinted at the miniscule text on the back of the cookie dough package as Tucker broke apart the brick and fended off Dani from eating any of the raw dough squares. 

“Yeah, but doesn’t Clockwork’s oven ignore the laws of physics or something? I bet we could cut that time in half.”

Danny turned his squint onto the pair as Sam poked her head into the kitchen. 

“I hear a bad idea in the works, what are you guys up to now?” She asked, hands on her hips. 

“Tuck’s trying to break the laws of physics!” Dani piped up from her perch on Tucker’s shoulders, taking a brief break from her cookie theft attempts. 

“Baking takes time and care, even if it's pre-packaged cookie dough. You’re a menace to society.” Her words were harsh, but her smile said she was only joking. 

“And a coward.” Danny’s squint had a glimmer of mischief now. “The oven ignores the laws of thermodynamics. We could bake these bad boys in a minute if we wanted.” He did the math in his head. “400° for ten minutes, or 4000° for one minute.”

Clockwork floated into the kitchen just in time to hear Dani proclaim “Or 4,000,000° for one second!”

“Ah, I thought I sensed something ill-advised going on.” The teenagers all froze, like deer under the indifferent glare of a headlight. “A temperature that high would vaporize the dough immediately, so I can't recommend trying it.”

Dani groaned loudly, finally giving Tucker’s shoulders a break by floating to the nearest countertop. “That stinks, but 4000 is still on the table, right? I can wait a minute for cookies.”

“Why wait a full minute? The dough should cook properly at 240,000° for one second.” 

He may have been enabling a bad habit, but breaking the rules was his second favorite hobby, and the look of raw glee on the teens’ faces was better than any present he could have received.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m borrowing Marsalias’s ideas for clockwork’s oven.


End file.
